Looking for adventure or feeling daring? Meet Christine Borton, a sophomore international studies and marketing major, who went on a hiker’s vacation of a lifetime this past summer.
Borton, accompanied by her parents and younger brother, spent two weeks exploring new territory in Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. The adventure-seeking family visited the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce National Park, Sedona, and Las Vegas.
“I did this hike called Angel’s Landing that’s listed as one of the top five best hikes in America. It was 2.5 miles at a 30 degree incline, and half of a mile required you to literally pull yourself up the mountain while holding onto chains. Not to mention there was a 1,000 foot drop on all sides of you the entire time” Borton said.
She described the Grand Canyon as a breathtaking experience, which she spent six hours hiking. There were even mules climbing up the mountain along with them which she said was unusual but nevertheless cool. Another hike she embarked on was the Zion Narrows, which was five miles to a waterfall and five miles back, all while hiking through waist-deep water.
Borton was presented with plenty of photo opportunities and she took full advantage of this by documenting her trip on both Instagram and Facebook. She said, “It was an amazing trip for me because I love photography and I was presented with so many great photo-ops. One of the best shots I got was of a lightning storm in Bryce National Park.”
The only negative to the trip was the flight back from Las Vegas to Philadelphia, when there was a minor explosion on Borton’s plane and an engine had caught on fire on board. Borton said they had to do an emergency landing, but luckily everyone was okay.
Not many people get to experience these national parks located all around our country and Borton feels lucky to have been able to do so. In the future, she hopes to travel the world and says her dream hike would either be in Iceland or New Zealand. We have no doubt that this fearless sophomore is capable of doing anything she sets her mind to.